Man Shoots Sister, El Pasoan Wins the Lotto and New Marijuana Laws Coming to Texas + More in Today’s News

Police Arrest Mother Whose Son Fell From A Pick-Up Truck  

The mother of an 8 year boy has been charged with injury to a child after her son fell off the back of a moving pick-up truck in Tornillo.  Doctors at El Paso Children's Hospital say Gerardo Reyes is still in critical condition with severe head injuries.  He's also been placed on life-support systems.  Meanwhile, his mother 27-year-old Cynthia Ortiz Rivas is being held in the county jail on $30,000 bond.

Police Arrest Brother Who Shot His Sister

A woman has been hospitalized and her brother is in jail following a shooting in Chamberino, New Mexico.  Authorities say 42-year-old Javier Cadena accidentally shot his 53-year-old sister during an argument.  The victim has been rushed to a hospital in El Paso, but she is expected to make a full recovery.  Meanwhile, Cadena is being held on $50,000 bond on several charges which include aggravated battery and child abuse.

Drag Racers Crash Into Las Cruces Mail Truck

A Las Cruces postal worker has been hospitalized after two drag racing teenagers crashed into his mail truck yesterday.  No names have been released, but authorities says the 51-year-old postal worker has been taken to Mountainview Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.  The teenage drivers were not injured, but both are facing a series of charges including vehicular assault.

Lawmakers Consider New Marijuana Law

El Paso Democrat Joe Moody has introduced a bill that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.  Moody says the state is wasting time and money on minor marijuana offenses.  Moody cites statistics showing Texas is currently spending more than $730 million dollars a year on enforcement of existing marijuana laws.  Moody's bill would fine suspects caught with small amounts of marijuana $250.

Former UTEP Basketball Coach Dies

Former UTEP Basketball coach Jason Rabedeaux has died mysteriously in Southeast Asia.  Up until his death, he worked in Vietnam as the head coach of the Saigon Heat.   No autopsy has been performed, but his death certificate lists traumatic brain injury as the cause of his death.  Rabedeaux compiled a record of 46 wins and 46 losses from 1999 through 2002 at UTEP.

El Paso Man Wins At Powerball

An El Paso man is a lot richer after buying a Powerball ticket at a local convenience store.   The Texas Lottery reports Rodney Macneil didn't hit the big jackpot, but he did win $2 million in a second-tier drawing.  Macneil's Powerball ticket matched all five white balls, but not the Powerball number.  The lottery reports Macneil's prize money jumped to two-million-dollars because he chose the Power Play feature.